In a dominant display, the Texas Longhorns cruised to a 51-3 victory over UL Monroe, with backup quarterback Arch Manning making his first career start. Manning threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns, despite a rocky start that included an interception on his first possession. Coach Steve Sarkisian praised Manning’s resilience, saying, “I’ve seen a lot of young quarterbacks have a rough start, and then that rough start turns into a rough game. It was a little bit of a rough start for him, but I thought he rebounded and did some nice things for us.”
Sarkisian acknowledged that the game plan may have contributed to Manning’s struggles, as it featured a number of deep shots. “Arch is a really good deep-ball thrower, and it gives guys chances to go make plays on those shots down the field,” Sarkisian said. “With a young quarterback, I’m kind of kicking myself a little. I wish I had a few other freebie completions for him, just so that there could have been a little bit more balance getting that completion percentage up, being efficient, moving the chains.”
Despite the win, Sarkisian emphasized that there is still room for growth, particularly in terms of Manning’s decision-making. “There were four or five plays where he had opportunities to check the ball down without forcing throws that he missed,” Sarkisian said. “That’s a difference of completing 50% to 52% of your passes to 65%.”
As the Longhorns prepare to face Mississippi State in their SEC debut, Sarkisian expressed confidence in his team’s depth and ability to compete at a high level. “I think that we do have the depth on this roster to withstand the strain that the SEC could put on your roster over that eight-game season that you play in conference, so that part is probably most encouraging for me,” Sarkisian said. “We’re going to face some tough opponents, but we’re ready for the challenge.”
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